The Irish soldiers stationed on the Golan Heights, meant to be the main security element of the United Nations force there, had to leave a key weapon behind in Ireland, leaving it much harder for them to defend their international colleagues from the threat of al-Qaeda.

The story was reported in the September 21 edition of the Irish Independent:

The Javelin missiles, which cost €70,000 each, remained back in the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare while Irish peacekeepers armed with just machine guns and rifles were caught up in a dramatic gun battle with al-Qaeda-linked rebels.

The revelation comes just weeks after Irish soldiers managed to rescue trapped fellow UN Filipino troops who were surrounded by rebels belonging to the al-Nusra Front militants.

Details of the Irish contingent’s armaments were withheld while the troops were effectively trapped inside Syria in order not to jeopardise their safety.

The story was published after the Irish, Filipino, and Fijian soldiers who were attacked by the Nusra Front from inside Syria made their way to safety in Israel.

While the newspaper could not discover the exact reason the Javelins were kept behind, it does point out that “according to the Government, the decision not to allow Irish troops to use the Javelin missiles was in line with United Nations regulations.”

For years, concerns have been raised that the UNDOF force on the Golan and UNIFIL in southern Lebanon are under-equipped and prevented by regulations for using sufficient force to both keep themselves safe and to put non-government players such as Hezbollah firmly in their place.

Mandates have been changed over the years, but analysts argue it is often too little, too late, coming as a reaction rather than as a proactive preventive measure.

Recent experiences have meant the foreign forces serving in UNDOF are considering leaving the region, following the examples set over the last couple of years by Canada, Japan, Croatia and Austria.

[Photo: The Tower]